Exploring the impact of a data-feedback workshop on injury trends in a regional collegiate American football league in Japan

The accurate ascertainment of injury epidemiology within a target population is the first step in sports injury prevention. However, in regional collegiate American football leagues in Japan, collected surveillance data have not been adequately disseminated back to the teams and players. This mixed-methods study, comprising a cross-sectional survey and a pre-post ecological analysis, aimed to explore the impact of integrating league-specific injury surveillance data into a mandatory workshop for team representatives. A non-randomized, uncontrolled pre-post study was conducted in the Tohoku Collegiate American Football League in Japan. Injury data from 2018 to 2023 served as the baseline, and the analytical findings were presented as feedback during the 2024 workshop. We compared participants’ perceptions through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, and evaluated official injury reports from the single 2024 season (post-intervention). No severe injuries were reported during either period. Following the workshop, self-reported safety awareness among participants improved. The overall injury rate per game did not significantly change (Incidence Rate Ratio: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.70–2.18). However, observed injury proportions shifted: muscle cramps decreased [37.2% (n = 145) vs. 7.7% (n = 3), p < 0.05], while head injuries increased [6.2% (n = 24) vs. 15.4% (n = 6), p < 0.05]. Data-driven feedback was associated with heightened awareness and a proportional decrease in readily addressable issues, such as muscle cramps. The proportional increase in head injuries may reflect improved reporting awareness rather than an absolute risk increase. Given the absence of a control group and the small post-intervention sample size, these exploratory findings suggest that this approach is a practical initial step for resource-limited organizations, warranting further controlled studies.